Trans-jurisdictional marriage and family reunification for refugees in the United Kingdom

Abstract

The paper examines contemporary UK policy with respect to family reunification for refugees and focuses on the example of spouse reunification. In particular, it examines some officially-reported cases and some in which the writer was involved as an expert witness. All cases discussed involve elements of transnational marriage making among refugee communities and constitute examples of trans-jurisdictional behaviour in that respect. The article discusses the ways in which the British authorities approach the issue of recognition of trans-jurisdictional marriages and attempts to offer some explanations for the authorities’ approach.